Albie, Bruno, GoodFortune, and I made the trip to Erie to meet JayL and his gang as well as PCray on Saturday. Everything pointed to a banner day on Friday night. But when Alby checked the flows first thing Sat morning, the streams dropped much quicker than we had hoped and the water temp dropped from 4.5 degrees to 1 degree C overnight.

While things weren't as ideal as we hoped, when we got to Sterretania, they weren't all bad either. The water was cold and clear...and fairly low. There were a few fresh fish up that high, but many had jewelry and battle scars, as well. Iced guides and frozen reels were a consideration throughout the day; it didn't occur often enough to detract from the fishing, however.

Alby had the hot hand to start hooking numerous fish by dead drifting buggers and eggs. He had bad tippet so he lost too many fish due to break offs, but still managed to land numerous fish.Bruno had a good day by "slapping the hamster" with gaudy salmon streamers. Goes to show that "you can catch them by showing something they haven't seen before," as he says.I had my success with small (#16-18) nymphs and pale, single eggs.JayL was swearing by anything in a peach color.GoodFurtune hooked up numerous times by switching up with a variety of flies.PCray landed at least 7 fish. He spent 3 days up there, so hopefully he'll add more of his insight.

JayL and crew were staying on at least one more day.Hope everyone made it home safely, though as we faced some ice and white-out conditions on the way home.

Here are some images including:Alby proving to Bruno that the tailing glove was worth the money...he held onto that guy!!! (I was impressed!)

A picture I like to call "Albie's biggest fish"...of course, the fish is about 1 foot out of the frame by time the shutter flashed...so we'll never really know!!

Goodtimes guys. Thanks for the fun. Good seeing everyone. Big thanks goes out to David for driving us home safely in blizzard conditions. Looking forward to going back soon.

I learned a few things yesterday. 1. Take your sunglasses off before you put your headlamp on. 2. Take the wet waders and boots outta the car when it is below freezing. 3. The river changes from year to year. Look at spots that have never been productive. Break your old "I know it habits. "

Yes, I hunted Mon-Wed. Hit a buck Monday morning, but was not able to recover it. Heavy rain made following the blood trail very difficult, and I lost it. Spent much of the day blindly looking for the deer without luck, probably didn't hit it well. It always sucks to wound an animal. Tuesday and Wed. were pretty uneventful in the woods.

As for fishing.

Thurs. -- Most everything blown out. I ended up on 12 mile, which was fishable. Very windy, you just lifted the rod, flew the line like a kite, then tried to work it down to the water. Did pretty well, considering the situation. 5 landed. There were maybe 10-15 guys there at any given time.

Fri -- Elk in perfect condition, but this just wasn't my day for some reason. Hooked 2, landed 0. Fished 4 different locations and only saw a total of 4 other fishermen, most of them had caught a couple but noone cleaned up.

Sat. -- Streams MUCH more crowded. Started on Elk at daylight at the Legion, I caught 1 and JayL caught, I think, 3. We then moved up to Steretania to join the other guys, and did pretty well up there. Yes, my final tally was 7 fair hooked fish landed on the day, including the one at the legion.

It was great to meet everyone that I haven't met before, and for JayL's group, it was good to see you again. Lookin forward to the jam.

fished a mile stream today , including myself there was 4 people in the pobably 2 miles of streams i fished , egg patterns and nymphs were the ticket , they were hot as fire today and water was perfect , some runs were on clear side. my arms and lower back are still aching...lol

Pcray covered saturday morning. I hooked a good number at sterretania, but landed fewer than I would have wished. Overall, I ended up with 7 or 8 landed. As was mentioned earlier, I was having greatest success with peach. Angora sucker spawn was the best variation.

Today saw lower and clear conditions, as well as some cold temps. The fish were definitely less active. We started below the legion, and it was a mob scene. We hooked a few before deciding to check walnut out... mainly because it beat going home. We caught a handful there, but it was packed with people, and the fish were on high alert with the low conditions. Once the wind picked up, we decided to make the trek back. Looks like the east side would have been better, based on troutslammer's post. We didn't feel like adding any more time to our already long drive, so we decided against checking that area out. Live and learn.

For the record, throughout my days up there I tried nymphs and had a hit or two, I also tried white and black buggers, but all my fish were caught on egg patterns of some sort. I caught fish on white blood dots, pink blood dots, peach sucker spawn, and scrambled eggs (orange and chartreuse).

Egg Colored/ with a Salmon dot. (looks like a mini peach) they were working for me Saturday on lower elk. I hooked 5 in one hole on them.

Where in the world did you get the idea for that color combo???

Sorry I missed all the fun. I'm headed up this weekend, or next, or maybe both. Looks like a good crew up there. Tailing a fish is an art, and Alby's "glove" looks like it did the trick. Looks like the true steelhead season started this past week... ice on the guides, snow on the ground, and less crouds. I need to bring one or two home for the smoker, so we'll see how the next few weeks pan out.

- Fishing in winter really isn't that bad...and this is from someone that has lived all but the last 2-1/2 years in warmer climates. Be sure to wear layers, with moisture-wicking materials, and you will be surprisingly comfortable as long as you keep moving.

- Bald Eagles are cool

- If you have to drive during winter storm conditions, BE CAREFUL OUT THERE!!! Don't think twice about stopping for awhile, or even finding a place for the night if you need to.

Quote:

albatross wrote: David, love the snow shot, maybe it'll make next year's calendar? I'll add my gratitude for getting us home safe through the snow. GoodFortune, chime in and let us know you made it home safe. We tried calling after the blizard died down, but the call went straight to your VM. It was nice to fish with you again. This photo doesn't do him justice, but Bruno makes a great elf! I had a nice day out with good friends, and caught a few fish too! I enjoyed meeting PCray and JayL's gang. I'll be armed with fresh tippet for my next trip, hopefully over Christmas break.

Posted on: 2009/12/7 19:44

_________________
"When one feels the rush of cold water against his waders, and pits his skill against the natural instincts and wariness of the trout, everything else is lost in the sheer joy of the moment."